Artist name: <\/strong>Grant Riven Yun\u00a0 Grant Yun has always been an artist at heart with an early aspiration to have his work featured at a major auction house. A curious and motivated individual, Yun is studying medicine while juggling his work as an artist and performing as a breakdancer who has competed all over the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since discovering NFTs a little over two years ago, the Wisconsin resident has propelled his art and personal brand into the stratosphere much quicker than he\u2019d imagined. With a minimalist style that elicits nostalgic vibes among collectors and his witty personality on Twitter, Yun is slicing out a significant percentage of mindshare amongst digital art fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBefore NFTs, I told myself I would become an artist who sells at a large auction house one day because, at the time, that was my only metric through which I knew what it meant to be a successful artist. I had no experience being an artist overall, so that was the only metric I had to measure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He reached the metric in October 2022: <\/p>\n \u201cHaving my work be put up at Sotheby\u2019s was surreal. I think the most pivotal moment for me was when I signed the contract\u2026 It just felt like such a monumental moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yun paid homage to NFTs as the accelerant that helped him achieve what might otherwise have taken a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s honestly been surreal. I think that the growth of artists in this space is hyper accelerated. To have achieved what I\u2019ve achieved shouldn\u2019t happen within a decade. For me, it happened within two years of me joining the space. But, here we are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Describing his own distinct style, Yun acknowledges the impact of simplicity to evoke memories and the impact of old school video games.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI see my work as minimalist and nostalgic,\u201d he says. \u201cI think my art is really focused on being ambiguous enough to where people can relate to it with their own personal experiences, but specific enough to where it can elicit certain memories from people\u2019s lives.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI try to limit the amount of details and clutter. It\u2019s really a less in more kind of mentality.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWith the gaming vibes in my art, it\u2019s mostly based around Nintendo games \u2014 particularly the Super Nintendo era, Nintendo 64 and GameCube. I feel like Nintendo games, especially the ones that were published by Nintendo themselves, have a very specific color palette \u2014 a bit like Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda. All of those have a very unique and similar kind of set of colors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Read also<\/p>\n Satoshi may have needed an alias, but can we say the same?<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n Wild, Wild East: Why the ICO Boom in China Refuses to Die<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe Alien\u201d from the series \u201cSpace\u201d sold for 136.9 ETH on July 28, 2022 ($236,217 equivalent on date of sale).<\/p>\n \u201cLaundry\u201d from the series \u201cNortheast\u201d sold for 70 ETH on Jan. 28, 2023 ($115,182 equivalent on date of sale).<\/p>\n \u201cCasa Roja\u201d from \u201cGrant Yun Early Works\u201d sold for 25 ETH on Jan. 8, 2023 ($31,596.50 equivalent on date of sale).<\/p>\n \u201cEn Route #7\u201d from the \u201cGrant Yun x Avant Arte\u201d collection sold for 16 ETH on Jan. 3, 2023 ($19,426 equivalent on date of sale).<\/p>\n Traditional art continues to provide inspiration, particularly established painters from the early to mid-20th century, such as American Gothic painter Grant Wood or the pop artist Ed Ruscha.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of my inspiration comes from painters like Grant and Ed and studying painting from the traditional art world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Yun added, \u201cI should mention, I do like to leave easter egg, crypto-related things in my illustrations. But the vision for where my art is going I think has remained the same.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As a student of the digital art game and a big fan of generative art in particular, Yun says Mpkoz is one to watch out for. Mpkoz is the artist behind the notable collection \u201cChimera.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Also receiving props from Yun is Summer Wagner, an emerging NFT photographer who Justin Aversano also rated in a recent NFT Creator<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTwo of my favorites right now are definitely Summer and Mpkoz. There\u2019s so many others I know I\u2019m leaving out though.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Known for his ability to uncover the charm in commonplace surroundings, Yun is also a fan of categories and creating work in a series.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I create an illustration, I try for the most part to sub-categorize them into certain series. I think I do my best work in a series,\u201d Yun said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, it helps because I like to view the world in a categorical manner. I also think a lot of people do the same subconsciously or consciously. I believe this is why we always place a big emphasis on collecting a set or even collecting in general. For continuity\u2019s sake for myself and also for collecting,\u201d he says. \u201cI try to work with very similar themes from past illustrations.\u201d<\/p>\n Subscribe<\/p>\n The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a Having moved from the hustle and bustle of California to the quieter fields of Wisconsin, Yun is passionate about telling a story within his art simply by being present and observing what is right in front of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll of my themes come from my experiences, like where I\u2019ve lived and particular memories I\u2019ve had. When I set out to create an illustration, I kind of dwell and think of a composition in my head. For example, if I\u2019m driving somewhere and I see a random thing on the side of the road, I\u2019ll have a composition come to my head, but I then try to shape that composition into a series that I\u2019m working on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnother example might be, if I look out of the window and I see a building, I\u2019ll try to make sure that I\u2019ll use that building as a reference, but the illustration itself will try to embody one of the different themes that I have going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Yun says the artist-collector relationship is completely different in the NFT world than in the traditional art world. \u201cPrior to NFTs, artists were represented by galleries, and the galleries were the line of communication for collectors and buyers. It was almost discouraged \u2014 and it still is almost discouraged \u2014 for artists to do direct transactions or communications with collectors. This is in complete contrast to what is happening right now in the Web3 space,\u201d Yun says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like other creators, he attributes his presence on social media to building up a following. \u201cIf I\u2019m being honest, I do think part of my success is due to how active I am on Twitter and how willing and eager I am to talk to people.\u201d He adds that he doesn\u2019t think \u201cthe value of art should be entirely dictated by one\u2019s willingness to be active on Twitter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI do feel for people who might not be in their 20s like I am, or who might not be technologically savvy enough or have the experience like I do being around technology essentially since birth.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant Yun website\u00a0<\/a>
Location: <\/strong>Milwaukee\u00a0
Date minted first NFT: <\/strong>Feb. 3, 2021
Which blockchains? <\/strong>Ethereum, Counterparty (Bitcoin)<\/p>\nWho is he?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Special](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Special-Delivery-2022-put-up-at-Sothebys-as-part-of-Xperience-Digital-Art-Auction.jpeg\")
Personal style<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n Features<\/span><\/p>\n
\n Features<\/span><\/p>\nNotable sales to date:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/The-Alien-from-the-series-\u2018Space.jpeg\")
![\"Laundry](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Laundry-from-the-series-\u2018Northeast.jpeg\")
![\"Casa](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Casa-Roja-from-Grant-Yun-Early-Works.jpeg\")
![\"En](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/En-Route-7-from-the-Grant-Yun-x-Avant-Arte-collection.jpeg\")
Influences<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Young](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Young-Corn-1931.png\")
What should<\/strong> artists<\/strong> be paying attention to?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Metropolis,](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Metropolis-mint-0-Berlin-from-ArtBlocks-x-Bright-Moments-collaboration.jpeg\")
Process\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n week.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Subscribe](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/reading-copy.png\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Store](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Store-from-Grails-II-PROOF.jpeg\")
Musings on the new artist\/collector relationship via NFTs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Seize](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Seize-the-memes-of-production-from-\u2018The-Memes-by-6529-collection.jpeg\")
Links:\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Breakdance record and video<\/a>
Grails III Artist Reveal Show\u00a0<\/a>
SuperRare<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Greg_Oakford.jpg\")